Thierry Neuville says he can’t afford not to attack the final day of Rally Japan to secure his first WRC titleafter Saturday’s exciting comeback. The head of World Rally Championship started on the penultimate day of competition of the course out of the points zone, in 15th, after a costly turbo failure on Friday dashed their hopes of a peaceful weekend on track to add the six points needed to seal the crown.
The Belgian hoped to move up to ninth position after Saturday’s seven stages, but he ended up surpassing the target with a seventh place.which will bring four valuable points if the competition ends on Sunday.
His impressive driving under significant pressure means the five-time WRC runner-upit will be enough to add two points to the 12 at stake during Super Sunday to win the championship.
Although Neuville will focus on the drivers’ title, could have a role to play in helping Hyundai Motorsport to seal their first constructors’ title since 2020so you will probably have to press.
“I’m not sure we can go for a walkbecause everyone will be pushing for the constructors’ title. Andreas Mikkelsen will return to the game, and Grégoire Munsterof M-Sporthad great speed today, so I still have to drive fast tomorrow“Neuville said Motorsport.com. “Obviously I would be relieved if I didn’t have to work hard for the Power Stage, so if I can place in the top five in qualifying on Sunday that would be good.”
Looking back on his return on Saturday, Neuville admitted it was far from easy, given the pressure of the title fight. “The driving was great. The hardest thing for me was managing risk, because we bet on everything and Ott Tanak He is aiming for both championships, with the Toyotas fighting for the constructors’ title“.
“They have nothing to lose and everything to gain, and for me it’s the opposite, I have everything to lose. I needed a smart approach and good behavior. This Saturday we did what we could, and tomorrow we will just have to finish the job,” he continued.
Similarly, Neuville’s title rival and Hyundai teammate Tänak produced an equally impressive run to open up a 38-second lead in the rally standings over Elfyn Evansand keep alive its candidacy for the Korean firm’s driver and constructor titles.
“For the moment, I would say that I could not have done more” Tänak commented Motorsport.com. “It wasn’t stressful, but it was quite tiring. Again, it was 12 or 13 hours in the car, with a lot of information coming from the course recording crews and changing road conditions. Then there are the endless sections, very slow and winding, with all kinds of conditions. The championship is still open, so we have to do our best, and Toyota is pushing a lot, so we have no respite at the moment.“, he added.
